Anticapitalist Sentiment and Depression/Suicidality

[Toxic Positivity]

I am not an ideologue, but merely a normie trying to get by. Hopefully this observation will be felt as helpful, which is how it is intended.

Some of the angriest, most bitter exchanges I see online, and much of the sadness I see in-person, comes from a sense of helplessness in the face of what is vogue to talk about these days, which is how capitalism sucks.

When that anger, sadness, despair or helplessness is disconnected from any real solution or even intent to act, it seems to quickly devolve or decompose into an overall outlook on life that magnifies the difficulties & pain while minimizing the admittedly rare (at least for me) moments of goodness, human connection and feelings of worth/feeling alive.

My completely unsolicited advice to anyone whom this resonates with, if you are willing, is to interrogate the stories you are telling yourself, interrogate the stories others are telling you (from any ideological bent) to decide for yourself whether what you're hearing is actionable, life-affirming, positive, constructive, or merely venting---which, of course, is necessary, too.

A good heuristic for me is that, when someone's rhetoric is dark, hopeless, and identifies/magnifies a problem without counterbalancing that darkness with something to do and look forward to that is empowering, meaningful and constructive, I am better-off not engaging with that rhetoric and ensuring I don't add more negativity to the mind I must take care of and am responsible for---mine.

 

[landslide2]

Not to take away from looking for solutions and intent to act, but the fact is capitalism as practiced has made life harder for many people globally and that includes damage to the climate. There is nothing in vogue about it, it's simply the current reality, facts are facts. Here is just one article from a famous financial newspaper (FT) article telling of the burdens of the younger generations. And that's just one factual article and from 2017 mind you. I guess I object to the usage of being "in vogue".

I completely understand wanting to be around people who are only positive but it should be no surprise that you will run into many more out there who are anxious and concerned and are having a difficult time being positive. But more power to you for wanting to be around positivity and wanting to avoid discussing politics or economics.

 

[SexyIncél]

A good heuristic for me is that, when someone's rhetoric is dark, hopeless, and identifies/magnifies a problem without counterbalancing that darkness with something to do and look forward to that is empowering, meaningful and constructive, I am better-off not engaging with that rhetoric and ensuring I don't add more negativity to the mind I must take care of and am responsible for---mine.

Yeah, while I think capitalism's an insane system, I tbh agree. There's 3 things you can do when confronted with immoral systems: help yourself, help others, or lose

Some cultures value Getting Shit Done — "being the change you want to see". Take for example Hacker News. Whatever else we might say about them, they're about action. There's "Show HN" posts, where people demonstrate their work and get constructive feedback. In the activist world, Seattle Solidarity Network writes up its victories; IWW's organizing.work discusses lessons from experience

The word "win" comes from "to desire, strive for." Those who don't strive, are losers. You may sympathize with them, and act to build a world where they're fundamentally free. But on a personal level, you may be pushed away (repulsed) by them. Because your empathy for them — the mirror neurons that make your mind resonate with theirs — can end up damaging your own ability to act

Not experimenting onto the world, their "knowledge" becomes ideology, so you can hardly even have a conversation about the same world

In the last half-year, I noticed my empathy lowered sharply for those who complain but don't act — maybe there's now even low-key contempt. I support the strivers in my life, who fight for others & don't give up. Especially when they fail, because that's when they need the most support

This isn't an all-around good change. In cases where it's wise for me to align with non-strivers, I'm much less effective. This is a problem I want to solve, but it'd suck if it turns out to be cognitively intractable

 

[sserafim]

Yeah, while I think capitalism's an insane system, I tbh agree. There's 3 things you can do when confronted with immoral systems: help yourself, help others, or lose

Some cultures value Getting Shit Done — "being the change you want to see". Take for example Hacker News. Whatever else we might say about them, they're about action. There's "Show HN" posts, where people demonstrate their work and get constructive feedback. In the activist world, Seattle Solidarity Network writes up its victories; IWW's organizing.work discusses lessons from experience

The word "win" comes from "to desire, strive for." Those who don't strive, are losers. You may sympathize with them, and act to build a world where they're fundamentally free. But on a personal level, you may be pushed away (repulsed) by them. Because your empathy for them — the mirror neurons that make your mind resonate with theirs — can end up damaging your own ability to act

Not experimenting onto the world, their "knowledge" becomes ideology, so you can hardly even have a conversation about the same world

In the last half-year, I noticed my empathy lowered sharply for those who complain but don't act — maybe there's now even low-key contempt. I support the strivers in my life, who fight for others & don't give up. Especially when they fail, because that's when they need the most support

This isn't an all-around good change. In cases where it's wise for me to align with non-strivers, I'm much less effective. This is a problem I want to solve, but it'd suck if it turns out to be cognitively intractable

How do you help yourself?

 

[Pluto]

 

[SexyIncél]

How do you help yourself?

Wanna go through a concrete scenario? Otherwise I'd give you some abstract af answer, and it'll bore everyone :P

If so, cool hit me with it

 

[sserafim]

Wanna go through a concrete scenario? Otherwise I'd give you some abstract af answer, and it'll bore everyone :P

If so, cool hit me with it

Yeah sure

 

[1MiserableGuy]

Most of capitalism's "opponents" are just liberals who love some of the most terrible aspects of capitalism, such as financial terrorism (normies usually call that cancel culture), and really just want some free money and stuff